Key Stage 4 courses are designed to provide students with a broad set of qualifications on which to build. They are the foundation for all later study, whether in the Sixth Form, at College, with employers or at University. They build on the knowledge and skills that have been developed over Key Stage 3 by taking students deeper into subjects and by giving more choice and responsibility over when, where and what is studied.
All students follow a common core of subjects in:
- Mathematics
- English
- Science
- Physical Education
- Humanities - World Issues
As part of the core some will also study:
- French or Spanish
- History or Geography
We aim to offer our students a wide range of courses that are appropriate to them, in content, level of challenge and type of assessment. We have developed a series of guided pathways in order to help students and their parents decide on a package of courses which best suits their aptitudes, interests and future career paths.
Students in each pathway will have the opportunity to choose up to three courses to study, in addition to their core subjects. There is a wide range of courses to meet the learning needs of all students. Academic GCSEs are complemented by a range of vocational courses. These vocational options are high quality courses leading to full Level 2 qualifications in a range of subject areas. We are keen to offer students courses which have links to local employers like Flybe and which therefore have good progression routes into employment and further training.
The
Pathways booklet is about helping students to make choices in the most intelligent way by giving information about each course. This will enable students, with the help of parents and teachers, to make up their minds about what they are going to do next. What is important is that they choose courses for the right reasons.
Young people leaving school now may well have three or four major career changes in their lives. This means that they will need a broad balance of interests, skills and knowledge.
Employers are looking for students who have a broad spread of skills and interests with good achievements in what we call the Skills for Success. They want employees who are
- Adaptable
- Creative innovators
- Literate in word, number and informatics
- Able to learn new things quickly
- Able to use new technologies
- Able and confident communicators
- Great team workers
- Emotionally well grounded
- Fit and healthy
- Politically aware citizens
- Self-motivated and responsible
- Possessors of a wide range of interests
When making their choices, we ask students to consider where best they can develop these skills. For example, the expressive arts are very good for developing several of them.
Technology, Science, Maths and Information and Communication Technology teach creative problem solving as well as how the universe works and how the things in it can be used for our benefit. Most new jobs are going to be in these areas.
Last updated: 01 February 2012
Home
